Keith Holyoake

Keith Holyoake (11 February 1904-8 December 1983) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 20 September to 12 December 1957 (succeeding Sidney Holland and preceding Walter Nash) and from 12 December 1960 to 7 February 1972 (succeeding Nash and preceding Jack Marshall), as well as Governor-General of New Zealand from 26 October 1977 to 25 October 1980 (succeeding Denis Blundell and preceding David Beattie).

Biography
Keith Holyoake was born in Mangamutu, New Zealand in 1904, and he was a successful farmer from the area north of Wellington before entering politics in 1932 as an MP for the New Zealand Reform Party and spokesman for farmers' interests. In 1936, his party amalgamated with the United Party to form the New Zealand National Party. He was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture under Sidney Holland from 1949 to 1957. When Holland had to retire in September 1957 because of ill health, he briefly took over as Prime Minister and Minister of Native Affairs, but he lost the election in December. He won the 1960 general elections, however, when he also became Minister of External/Foreign Affairs (1960-72). He was a leading Commonwealth opponent of Ian Smith's establishment of a racist white government in Rhodesia, and one of the apartheid regime in South Africa. Firmly committed to the country's military alliance with the United States through ANZUS, he supported US involvement in the Vietnam War, and was responsible for the participation of New Zealand troops there. He was bitterly opposed to, but unable to prevent, British entry into the EEC, though he did manage to retain some preferential treatment for New Zealand products. He acted as Minister of State from 1975 to 1977, and retired from party politics to serve as Governor-General from 1977 to 1980. He died in 1983.